Editor’s note: This is the fourth story in a week-long series looking at prospects under consideration for the New York Rangers with the No. 5 pick in the upcoming NHL Draft. Read about University of North Dakota defenseman Keaton Verhoeff, Soo Greyhounds defenseman Chase Reid and Latvian defenseman Alberts Šmits.
Carson Carels ranked third among Canadian junior league defensemen in total points this season and second in points per game. Yet that production is usually among the last things mentioned when talking to coaches and scouts about one of the hottest commodities in the 2026 NHL Draft.
They value Carels for the details in his game that don’t always show up on the stat sheet.
“He’s a defenseman who knows how to play his position,” said Mark Lamb, head coach and general manager for Carels’ WHL team, the Prince George Cougars. “He knows how to play without the puck and he takes pride in playing without the puck. There’s so many kids who should take more pride in that area instead of always looking at the offense, looking at the stats, goals and assists. He doesn’t judge his game by that, and neither do we. He judges his game by how good he is in his own end, his first pass (and) getting pucks to the forwards.”
The Cypress River, Manitoba native grew up on a 2,000-acre farm, where he still spends much of his free time tending cattle and working the land. It instilled a grinding mindset that defines a player one Eastern Conference scout referred to as “a throwback.”
Added the scout, who was granted anonymity to speak freely about this year’s prospect pool, “We’ve got a lot of rich kids playing hockey now. Give me a farmer all day.”
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But Carels’ game isn’t just about rugged defense or blue-collar toughness. He’s an adept puck-mover as the scoring suggests — he posted 73 points (20 goals and 53 assists) in 58 games for Prince George this season, then another 10 (one goal and nine assists) in 10 playoff contests — and his effortless skating stands out.
“I’m a guy (for whom) the offense comes to me after I take care of my own zone,” Carels told The Athletic at the NHL Draft Combine in Buffalo. “It kind of makes me a little more special: just the way I play with aggression and that more hard-nosed game, as well. … When I’m at my best, I’m kind of doing that all.”
It’s an exciting combination that makes the University of North Dakota commit a strong consideration for the New York Rangers with pick No. 5 — if he isn’t already gone.
The case for Carels
Spokane Chiefs coach Brad Lauer had to do a double-take when he glanced at the time-on-ice sheet following their game against Prince George on Oct. 3, 2025.
“All of a sudden, I looked and (Carels) had 38 minutes under his belt,” said Lauer, who would later coach Carels as an assistant for Canada at the 2026 World Juniors. “I was like, ‘Man, oh, man.’”
That wasn’t quite the norm, but it also wasn’t unusual for Carels to log a heavy workload for a Cougars squad that relied on him for pretty much everything — from matching up with the best forwards as a shutdown defenseman at five-on-five to being first over the boards for both the power play and penalty kill.
“There isn’t a weakness in this kid,” Lamb said.
Scouts seem to concur.
“This kid’s f—— good,” said a Western Conference scout, who was also granted anonymity to speak candidly. “I think he’s really going to excel moving forward because of how mature his game is, how smart he is and how easy it comes to him. He’s smooth.”
That smoothness is on display with what the scout described as “elite” skating.
“It’s like he’s floating on the ice,” the scout added.
That allows Carels to close gaps quickly — and when he arrives, he isn’t shy about throwing his body around. Multiple scouts described the 6-foot-2, 198-pounder as the most physical defenseman among those billed near the top of this year’s draft class. Lamb called him “nasty,” adding, “He plays for keeps.”
Carels also uses his speed to transition pucks from zone to zone, often exploding past overmatched WHLers to create scoring chances off the rush. But he’s very capable of making tape-to-tape passes, as well. His assist totals reflect that, while Lauer pointed to his ability to make smart reads and execute clean breakouts as another strength.
“He’s always scanning the ice,” Lauer said. “He seems to know what his options are when he’s getting the puck. He doesn’t have to wait to get around and then try to figure out what to do with it. He has an idea what he’s doing with the puck before he gets there. I think that comes with the hockey IQ.”
Please enjoy this Carson Carels highlight compilation 🤩 #NHLDraft
(🎥: @TheWHL) https://t.co/z6Jwc6QuaD pic.twitter.com/c7ONClwdU6
— NHL (@NHL) May 4, 2026
The Western Conference scout likened Carels to a left-handed version of the Minnesota Wild’s Brock Faber, while the Eastern Conference scout described him as a “glue guy.”
“You can envision him playing in big playoff games and doing whatever it takes to win,” the latter added. “They don’t grow on trees.”
Above all, Carels offers the kind of package most believe will translate to the NHL seamlessly because it marries mobility with simplicity.
“He’s really good at just taking what the game gives him. It’s not always flashy, but it’s always solid,” said North Dakota defensive coach Dillon Simpson, who helped recruit Carels and will begin coaching him in the fall if he decides to attend college. “If you can make that first pass, join the play, or get up in the play and not really try to put yourself in bad spots, I think that’s a huge strength. And then he’s got a good shot, he defends hard, so it’s an exciting prospect.”
Lamb put it more succinctly: “He’s a coach’s dream.”
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The case against Carels
While Carels racked up points at the WHL level, he’s not viewed by most as a high-skill defenseman or future PP1 quarterback.
“Offense is going to be modest at the next level,” the Eastern Conference scout said.
The same scout thought that the prospect’s physicality might also be slightly overstated.
“Carels is more physical than probably the rest of (the top defensemen prospects), but he’s not a killer,” the scout said. “He’s kind of a new-age physical, so maybe one grade point (above the rest). But all these guys are gonna pretty much defend in similar fashion, with their feet and with their sticks and their gaps.”
Stick positioning has been a point of emphasis, according to Carels, who noted his habit of “holding my stick up tall.” He and his coaches have tried to break it by keeping his stick down on the ice more often, so that he’s better positioned to disrupt passes and force puck-handlers to the outside.
“It’s the kind of the things I work on and need to hammer down to be a great defender in the NHL,” Carels said.
There are varying levels of concern among NHL talent evaluators about a concussion Carels sustained in Prince George’s playoff opener on March 27. He missed the next two games before returning for the team’s final nine, but lingering symptoms caused him to skip testing at the recent NHL Draft Combine, colleague Corey Pronman reported on “The Athletic Hockey Show.”
There’s also the fact that Carels measures out smaller than other top D prospects such as Alberts Šmits (6-3, 205 pounds) and Keaton Verhoeff (6-4, 215 pounds), and that he’s left-handed when teams tend to value righties slightly more. But as the Eastern Conference scout said, “We’re splitting hairs here.”
“I would have no hesitation on him,” he added.
Does he fit with the Rangers?
Assuming one of the consensus top-three forwards — Caleb Malhotra (who may be New York’s favorite prospect in this draft), Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg — doesn’t slip to No. 5, the sense around the league is that Carels will be very much in the mix. He blends many of the traits teams such as the Rangers covet in defensemen and fills a bigger organizational need as a lefty when they already have Adam Fox, Will Borgen and Braden Schneider on the right side (not to mention their current top D prospect, and Carels’ potential teammate next season at UND, in E.J. Emery).
There’s a chance Carels may not make it to No. 5. We’ve heard whispers about the Chicago Blackhawks’ potential interest at No. 4, and even the San Jose Sharks, who hold the No. 2 pick, took Carels out to dinner at the Combine.
The Rangers also met with Carels and kept close tabs on him throughout the season. He’s become the preferred defenseman for some scouts in a deep class and appears to be a co-favorite for New York’s pick, along with Šmits.
— Peter Baugh contributed to this report.